Fastener



A. J. LAND Jan. 9, 1968 FASTENER F'iied Feb. 21, 1966 FIG.

F 4 INVENTOR. V

ALFRED Jf LAND BY W/ @Mzg A 7' TOR/V9151 United States Patent Ofifice 3,362,553 Patented Jan. 9, 1968 3,362,053 FASTENER Alfred J. Land, 1106 Rosedale Road, Valley Stream, N.Y. 11581 Filed Feb. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 528,899 9 Claims. (Cl. 24259) This invention relates to a new and improved fastener and more particularly to a fastener for attaching a shade pull to a shade.

Conventional roller type shades are generally raised and lowered withthe use of shade pulls such as pendants, bail rings or pull cords having a crocheted ring pull, tassel or other passementerie trimming attached thereto.

Commonly, such shade pulls are attached to the front of the slat located at the bottom of the shade by means of screw buttons or screw eyes instead of underneath the shade. Thus, when force is applied to the shade pull not all of the force is, in turn, applied to the shade in the direction of pull. This causes the slat to tip forward and after some use will cause the screw eye or button to loosen and be pulled out of the slat.

Although there are presently available U-shaped fasteners which are capable of attaching the shade pull underneath the shade they also have not been found to be fully satisfactory. One drawback is that the present U- shaped fasteners are not capable of being firmly secured to the slat of the shade but rather have a tendency to loosen when force is applied to the shade pull.

Moreover, slats for shades are available in a variety of sizes, with thickness being roughly proportional to width. However, present U-type fasteners are generally made for slats in a limited size range and one fastener cannot be used for slats of greatly differing sizes. It has been found that if the fastener is too large for the slat it cannot satisfactorily be attached to the shade. In addition, such oversized fastener may also tear the shade.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a new and improved fastener that will securely attach a shade pull to a shade.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a fastener for a shade pull which is of the universal type; that is, it can be used for attaching a shade pull to the shade irrespective of the size of the slat.

It is another object of this invention to provide a fastener for a shade pull which will be relatively easy to apply to the shade but once applied will be firmly secured thereto.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a fastener which will insure that the entire force on the shade is in the direction of pull.

It is another object of this invention to provide a fastener to which a variety of ornaments can be readily attached.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a fastener which can be used with a variety of available pull cords, bail rings or pendants.

It is another object of this invention to provide a shade pull which will not slide once it is placed in the fastener.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a substantially U-shaped fastener secured to the slat of a shade that comprises a base that abuts the bottom of said shade and wherein the base includes a channel there along for the pintle of a bail ring or pendant, or the loop of a pull cord, said channel having a depth about equal to the breadth or diameter of the pintle or cord, and wherein the bottom of the shade cooperates with the fastener to maintain the pintle or cord in the.

provided with means which cooperate with the fastener to prevent the shade pull from sliding within the fastener after it is placed within the channel.

The fastener of the present invention also includes a pair of resilient legs extending upwardly from the base on each side of said slat that are normally spaced apart a distance less than the thickness of said slat, such that the legs are biased apart by said slat. Moreover, one of said legs has a pair of prongs at opposite sides thereof which extend inwardly and downwardly from said leg at an acute angle thereto for imbedding said prongs into said slat, to thereby secure the fastener to the shade once it is in position, and wherein pulling on the ring, pendant or cord to move the shade will further imbed the prongs into said slat. By providing the described pair of prongs the fastener will not rock on the slat when force is applied to the shade pull.

In addition, the distance between the base and the prongs on one of said legs is preferably less than the width of presently available slats. Accordingly, the fastener of the present invention can be used with any of the generally available slats.

The nature of the invention and the manner in which this invention can be practiced will now be set forth in a more detailed description and drawing which illustrates the preferred embodiment thereof.

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a shade having a pull attached to the shade by a fastener of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the fastener of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged front view of the fastener of FIGURE 2 wherein the fastener has been secured to a shade;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged rear view of the same fastener secured to the shade, and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the fastener of the present invention taken along the lines 55 of FIG- URE 3, particularly illustrating the imbedding of the prongs into the slat and the maintenance of the pintle of the ring or pendant or the cord within the channel at the base of the fastener.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, there is shown a conventional roller-type shade 10 having a wooden slat 12 at its lower end, to which is attached a pull, such as the pendant 14, by the fastener 16 of the present invention as shown in FIGURE 5.

The fastener 16 is preferably made of spring steel, and as shown in FIGURE 2, is generally U-shaped, including a base 18 and a pair of opposing legs 20 and 22.

The base 18 of the fastener 16 includes a channel 24 which extends there along parallel to the legs 20 and 22 for a pintle 26 of the pendant 14- as best shown in FIGURE 5. The pendant 14 also includes a pair of shoulders 27 at opposite ends of the pintle 26 that abut against the sides of the fastener 16 to prevent the pendant 14 from sliding within the fastener 16. Moreover, the depth of the channel 24 below the base 18 is about equal to that of the diameter of the pintle 26, such that once the fastener 16 is secured to the slat 12 the pintle 26 will be maintained in the channel 24 by said channel 18 and the bottom of the shade. If desired, a pull cord can be used by placing the looped portion of the cord in the channel 24.

The leg 20 extends vertically upward from the base 13 and includes a pierced hole 28 therethrough for an ornament 30. As illustrated, the ornament 36 is riveted or eyeleted to the leg 20.

The leg 22 extends upwardly from the base and slightly inwardly toward the leg 20 forming an acute angle with the base 18 which is preferably about 65. This will further insure that the fastener 16 will be secured to the shade 10.

In addition, the distance between the resilient legs 20 and 22 is normally less than the thickness of the slat 12. Consequently, when the fastener 16 is placed upon the slat 12, such biasing action will cause the legs 20 and 22 to constantly press against said slat 12.

Integral with the leg 22 is a head 32 having a pair of prongs 34 at opposite sides of the leg 22 which extend inwardly and downwardly forming an acute angle with said leg 22, preferably of about 55.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing the head 32 is formed by making angular lances on each side of the leg 22 and thereafter rearwardly bending the upper portion of the leg 22 which is contiguous with the lances, thereby cause the prongs thus formed to move inwardly and downwardly. For added strength a rib 36 is preferably provided between the rear portion of the head 32 and the rear surface of said leg 22.

As hereinbefore discussed one of the drawbacks of presently available fasteners is that they are generally made for a slat of a specific size. Accordingly, if the size of the slat is varied the fastener will not function properly.

However, the present invention overcomes this difficulty by providing the fastener 16 wherein the distance between its base 18 and the prongs 34 is less than the height of commonly used slats. Thus the prongs 34 will always be able to imbed themselves in any of the generally available slats to thereby secure the fastener 16 to the shade. For example, the slats generally available have a width from about inch to 1 4 inches, whereas the distance between the base 18 and the pointed end of prongs 34 as indicated by a in FIGURE 5 is about /2 inch.

In attaching the shade pull 14 to the shade l0 utilizing the fastener 16 of the present invention, the pintle of the pendant is placed in the channel 24. The fastener is then fed onto the slat 12. In so doing the slat 12 causes the legs 20 and 22 of the fastener 16 to become biased apart such that said legs constantly press against the slat 12. The fastener 1.6 is moved onto the slat 12 until its base 18 abuts the bottom of the shade it). With the fastener 16 now in place, the downwardly extending prongs 34 on the leg 22 imbed themselves into the slat 12 to secure the fastener 16 thereto.

Furthermore, with the fastener so secured the pintle of the pendant 26 is maintained directly below the shade within the channel 24 by the cooperating bottom of the shade and said channel 24. When it is desired to move the shade 10 the force applied to the pendant 26 which is in turn applied to the shade will be entirely in the direction of the pull.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to a specific fastener described, but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its advantages.

What is claimed:

1. A substantially U-shaped fastener for attaching a shade pull to a shade having a slat at its lower end comprising: a base abutting the bottom of said shade and having a channel therealong with a depth below the base about equal to the breadth of the portion of the shade pull in said channel for holding the shade pull in said channel; a pair of opposing resilient legs extending upwardly from said base and positioned on each side of said slat, wherein said legs are normally spaced apart a distance less than the thickness of said slat such that said slat biases said legs apart; an integral head on one of said legs having a segment extending inwardly therefrom with a pair of prongs on opposite sides of said one leg extending inwardly and downwardly therefrom at an acute angle thereto for embedding said prongs into said slat, to thereby secure the shade pull within said channel to said shade, and wherein downward pulling on the shade pull further embeds said prongs into the slat, said integral head also having a segment extending rearwardly therefrom; and a reinforcing rib connected to said one leg and said rearwardly extending segment of said integral head.

2. The fastener set forth in claim 1, wherein the distance from the base of said fastener to the points of said prongs on one of said legs is less than slats having a width from inch to l inches. 1

3. The fastener set forth in claim 2 wherein the other of said legs has a pierced hole therethrough in its central portion which is adapted to receive ornaments.

4. The fastener set forth in claim 1 wherein the shade pull is a pendant having a pintle which is positioned in said channel in the base of said fastener.

5. The fastener set forth in claim 1 wherein the shade pull is a bail ring, a portion of which is positioned in said channel in the base of said fastener.

6. The fastener set forth in claim 1 wherein the shade pull is a looped pull cord, the loop of which is positioned in said channel in the base of said fastener.

7. A shade pull adapted to be attached to the bottom of a shade by a fastener having a base abutting the bottom of said shade that includes a channel therealong, comprising a pintle which is positioned in said channel in the base of said fastener, and a pair of shoulders at opposite ends of said pintle which abut against adjacent sides of said fastener to prevent said shade pull from sliding within said fastener.

8. A pull and a fastener for attaching said pull to the lower portion of a shade containing a slat: said fastener being substantially U-shaped and comprising a base abutting the bottom of said shade and having a channel therealong with a depth below the base about equal to the breadth of the portion of said pull in said channel for holding said pull therein, a pair of opposing resilient legs extending upwardly from said base and positioned on each side of the slat, wherein said legs are normally spaced apart a distance less than the thickness of the slat such that the slat biases said legs apart, and a pair of prongs on opposite sides of one of said legs extending inwardly and downwardly from said leg at an acute angle thereto for embedding said prongs into the slat, to thereby secure said pull within said channel to said shade, and wherein downward pulling on said pull further embeds said prongs into the slat, said pull comprising a pintle positioned in said channel in the base of said fastener, and a pair of shoulders at opposite ends of said pintle abutting against adjacent sides of said fastener to prevent the pull from sliding within said fastener.

9. The shade pull set forth in claim 8 wherein said pull is either a pendant or a bail ring.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 195,763 10/1877 Knapp 24259 X 856,987 6/1907 Scheif 24259 X 1,740,975 12/1929 Eiring 24259 X 1,807,801 6/1931 Steinger 24259 FOREIGN PATENTS 849,736 9/1960 Great Britain.

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner. 

7. A SHADE PULL ADAPTED TO BE ATTACHED TO THE BOTTOM OF A SHADE BY A FASTENER HAVING A BASE ABUTTING THE BOTTOM OF SAID SHADE THAT INCLUDES A CHANNEL THEREALONG, COMPRISING A PINTLE WHICH IS POSITIONED IN SAID CHANNEL IN THE BASE OF SAID FASTENER, AND A PAIR OF SHOULDERS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID PINTLE WHICH ABUT AGAINST ADJACENT SIDES OF SAID FASTENER TO PREVENT SAID SHADE PULL FROM SLIDING WITHIN SAID FASTENER. 